Friday, June 11, 2004

Will stitch for food...

Fortunately, I don't really have to do that; the sewing & alterations business doesn't pay real well, when you do it as sporadically as I have since I started school. But it does feed my soul, in a way. I look forward to retreating to my sanctum sanctorum. It's actually a corner of the basement, next to the washer and dryer, where I've carved out a bit of dedicated space. Not especially scenic, but unqualifiedly mine. Sitting in front of my machine, or swivelling around to reach a tool or iron a seam, is something of a spiritual discipline, meditative as well as useful.

Today the items on my sewing table include a sweater to be mended, several pairs of slacks to be hemmed, a costume to be altered, and a pile of purple cloth and fur destined to become a dance recital accessory-- the Cowardly Lion's cape-- before the day is out. Blessings in fabric and thread.

Baseball umpiring. To a lot of people, it looks like thankless work. To others, I'm just someone to holler at. For me, its fun. But you already knew that from this post.

One of my umpire acquaintances says that when you really, really know the rules, applying them effectively can be a near-religious experience. He sees the rules as akin to the Bible. (No disrespect intended.) There's the text, the interpretations and the traditions of the game, and from those experiences one develops a deep understanding of what it all means and how it all works.